The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ignorant

  • Ignorant arrogance

    Ignorant arrogance

    •Buhari’s CSO should apologise to The Punch and its reporter 

    At the very inception of the regime in which he served as Nigeria’s military Head of State between December 1983 and 1985, General Muhammadu Buhari had unequivocally alerted a startled nation that his government would tamper with the freedom of the press. The authoritarian and anti-free press legacy of the period was to dog Buhari long after his forced exit from power and no doubt contributed significantly to the negative public perception that resulted in his loss at the polls in three successive attempts to be elected as President of Nigeria in 2003, 2007 and 2011, respectively.
    Buhari’s success in the 2015 presidential election was partly because a critical cross-section of the populace had been persuaded to see him in a new light as a transformed former dictator capable of exercising power within the restraining context of liberal democracy. To be fair to President Buhari, there has been no reason to doubt that he is now committed to the tenets of democracy, the rule of law and a free press since his second coming to power.
    This is why the decision, last week, by the President’s Chief Security Officer (CSO), Mr. Bashir Abubakar, to expel the correspondent of The Punch newspaper accredited to cover the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Mr. Olalekan Adetunji, from covering the beat and even accessing the power precinct came to the public as a rude shock and constitutes a great disservice to the Buhari presidency.
    Constituting himself into the accuser, the prosecutor and the judge in a case of his own making, Mr. Abdullahi literally put the correspondent on trial in his office, demanded a written statement from him under duress and meted out his arbitrary and capricious punishment informed by nothing but prejudice and malice. The Punch correspondent’s crime in the estimation of the CSO was that he had written stories published in his medium depicting the ebb of activities at the Villa since the president’s return from his last medical vacation, as well as anxieties raised in some quarters as regards the implications of Buhari’s ailing health for governance. The CSO chose to arrogate to himself the power to determine which stories are objective, in the national interest and worth publishing, while also impugning the motive, both of the reporter and his medium.
    That the CSO acted unilaterally without the knowledge of the president’s media office reflects not just his impunity but also the confusion and lack of coordination that characterises the inner workings of the presidency. Indeed, Mr. Abdullahi had reportedly met earlier with the press corps at the Presidential Villa, with a view to influencing them to do their jobs from the perspective of the government disguised as objective reporting in the purported national interest.
    The presidential spokespersons, Mr. Femi Adeshina and Mallam Garba Shehu, deserve commendation for dissociating the presidency from the CSO’s atrocious behaviour and also ensuring the recall of the barred correspondent. But that is clearly insufficient remedy for the damage done. The correspondent was not only placed under psychological siege, his rights were abridged, albeit briefly, while his professional judgement and even patriotism were unjustifiably questioned.
    Furthermore, the CSO’s action raised doubts about the presidency’s commitment to a free press and suggested a desire to gag reporting on the president’s health, which is most unfortunate given Buhari’s commendable transparency on the matter. This palpably ignorant, yet insufferably arrogant officer must at the very least be made to tender an apology to The Punch and its traumatised correspondent. That is the best way to demonstrate that his preposterous behaviour does not enjoy surreptitious presidential approbation.

  • ‘Aregbesola’s critics are ignorant’

    ‘Aregbesola’s critics are ignorant’

    Ayo Akinola is the Coordinator of Osun Concerns Group, a group of professionals creating awareness on the political and social activities in the state. In this interview with our correspondent, SOJI ADENIYI, he notes that Governor Rauf Aregbesola is the most patriotic leader the state has had in recent times. He is also of the opinion that the governor is highly misunderstood, deliberately so by the opposition.

    You have been an avid supporter of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola since the campaign that brought him into office for the second term. Why is this so?

    I have said it in different fora that this is the very first time in the recent past that we are having a semblance of good governance since the creation of Osun. Baba (Bisi) Akande set the ball rolling for a prosperous Osun but was hated for taking the bull by the horn as they often say. You know, people hate honest people. They will prefer those who will deceive them using cosmetic hand-out, cash here and there, patronages here and there. The then opposition propaganda machinery was very rife, coupled with the then federal might; the man was not allowed to finish what he started.

    That was the beginning of the sorrow we are witnessing today in Osun. All what Baba did was overturned, to create a false Eldorado. That is what Ogbeni met on the ground and was managing to ameliorate. If this man was governing a more prosperous state like Lagos, he would have turned the state into a mini New York. He is a manager per excellence. Even as commissioner in Lagos, see what he did. Let me tell you this: all the criticisms on Ogbeni you see daily inside the newspapers and in the social media are handiworks of the opposition. They criticize him because they are too lazy to dig deep and appreciate the enormous tasks ahead. And it is deliberate. They want to discredit him for them to return to power, which is impossible. Their time is gone for good and forever. They will soon be tired. See what is happening in Lagos. They have been criticizing and the more they do, the more they lose because they lack credibility. This is because our people in Osun and Lagos are no fools.

    To come to your question, some of us from Osun who live in Lagos and witness the rapid development in Osun cannot just sit down and watch them retake our state. We worked underground in 2011 when he was robbed of the seat. I left my home and job in Lagos and relocated to my Irewole Local Government, mobilised the locals and made effective use of the media and, thankfully, he won. But the PDP machinery will not allow it. I have said it in an article published in some dailies that great leaders are made great by horrible circumstances. This man will not let go. Vintage Ijesa man; he fought through the courts and some of us from Osun were almost saying this man should forget the mandate and go into another election, which was fast approaching. That is one lesson I took from him: fight your fight to the last. He did and his mandate was restored.

    Within the short span of time, we noticed rapid infrastructural development and deliberate effort at raising human development. He was managing the resources like a private concern; the same way Papa Awolowo managed the economy of the Western Region, which pushed the region to the foremost position in everything: having the first television station in the whole of West Africa, the Liberty Stadium as well as the Cocoa House in Ibadan. You can imagine the kind of criticism the then opposition would be heaping at him then, for having foresight, the same way Ogbeni is today being vilified as wasteful.  Foresight is the difference. The opposition in Osun lacks it. The good thing is that our people are more enlightened than them. Some may be illiterate but they know good governance when they see one. These are the reasons why we supported him during the elections of 2014 and even now.

    But the current travails of Osun workers are dire…

    This is another annoying thing promoted by the faceless opposition. They are cowards, if not they should come out under the banner of their party with the allegations instead of dividing our loyal workers. A good opposition is never afraid to do so. When the APC was in the opposition, they talked under the banner of their party; they were not instigating the people. I think it is evil, if you ask me. Now, ask yourself or ask them, is Osun the only state in Nigeria owing its workers? Most of the states owing are or were ruled by the PDP. As at the last count, we have about 24 states, including the federal government under PDP owing workers.

    Even most of the states whose revenues triple that of Osun, and some littoral states owe. So, what are we saying? The Ondo state workers are threatening to down tools and nobody is shouting. Ondo is a littoral state that earns stupendous from the commonwealth, and nobody is shouting (Olusegun) Mimiko. Is it because Ondo is governed by the PDP, their party? So, with that alone, you can know where the noise is traceable to. I’ve always said it that Ogbeni is the whipping boy because they are envious of him and his achievements. Can’t they at least check the books and the records which are in the public domain? I’ve taken pains to go through it and put in the media, so also has unbiased columnists like Professor Niyi Akinnaso. These are people you cannot buy, even with all the wealth of Nigeria. They have all taken time to analyze the situation and given kudos to Ogbeni. And let me also say it that it is a miracle how Ogbeni has been able to steer the wheel of the state. That shows ingenuity and we must give it to him.

    Are you aware that this situation was caused by three major reasons: the daily theft of crude, the fall in crude price and the recently exposed non remittance of revenue to joint account due to corruption? At least former President Jonathan should have control over the first and the third. What did he do? So, it is a complex, yet simple situation for a determined leader. Thank God for the change we now have.

    What is the lasting solution to this problem?

    Thank God we are in a new dispensation. A lot of things really have to change, if the change we voted for will have impact on our lives. And we will need everybody’s support in this regard. The structure of the country itself needs some change. We’ve been operating our federal structure as if we are in a unitary government. How can you, for example, explain a situation where the federal government will dictate to a state how much that state should pay its workers, without corresponding consideration on how such wage will be paid? Is that not absurd? What is the concern of the centre on that and so many other things? State A may decide to pay minimum wage of N30,000 based on its revenue base and other reasons, while another state B, may not be able to pay more than N15,000. If a worker decides that he is not satisfied with State B, he is free to migrate to seek employment in state A. Don’t forget that state A that is paying N30,000 is taking into consideration, probably, high cost of living in its state, which may not be as high in state B. So, a blanket wage increase for all states is an anomaly, as resources are not the same.

    Second solution is that it is high time we started discouraging our citizens from depending on government or paid job for existence. We need to educate our youths that self employment, creative thinking is the new order. Gone are the days of yore when you finish school and get government or paid employment and your financial problem is solved, that is what we used to call job security. No more job security. It is a world-wide change. The only job security there is now is self employment. Nobody can sack you from the job you create. Look at the Pensioners. Those who receive theirs as at when due, is it enough for their upkeep? And the only way you can build wealth and help your state or country is to set up cottage industry, where you will employ people, take them out of employment and contribute in tax to your state. We must all tell our youths the home truth, not to rely on government or paid employment for our sustenance. It’s not really sustainable in the long run. It is like a rat race. Nobody becomes wealthy by relying on paid employment. This is what our politicians are afraid to tell our youths. And this is what Aregbesola has been tactically preaching through his various capacity building programmes.

    Let me tell you this: if a university graduate starts a barbing saloon, for example. He’s going to go places because of the education he’s received at the university. Kings and heads of states will invite him. Look at educated youths who are into photography, decoration, fashion, music and and comedy, etc. Imagine the trails they are blazing. These are the things we should be telling our youths instead of encouraging them into the civil services which are already bloated. There is so much redundancy in our civil service, and you can’t believe the level to which this has grown. You will find six staffs doing the job of only one person. So, there’s need for restructuring in the various states and federal bureaucracies. There’s need for very lean civil service, maybe just 20 per cent of what we currently have. People say, if you downsize, won’t there be social vices? I disagree. Look at what they do in the military. Every year, the military downsizes. But what they do prior to that is to create a skill in tailoring, barbing, catering etc for the would-be retirees and then pay their terminal benefits with which they set up. They even live better post-retirement than when they were in salaried employment. States and the federal governments should start to look into that direction. States must start to emulate that by downsizing every year and keep their staff strength at the barest minimum, effective and efficient. Deploying that bogus percentage of revenue to recurrent is bad.

     

  • Those who say I can’t speak English are ignorant, says Funke Akindele

    Those who say I can’t speak English are ignorant, says Funke Akindele

    Popular Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, has lashed out at her critics, who claimed that her infrequent appearance in English movies is due to her linguistic deficiency in English.

    For some time, the rumours had been rife that the talented actress has been featuring majorly in Yoruba movies because she cannot speak or act effectively in English.

    But rather than take up her critics in the most common ‘street way’, which she is known to have acted in most of her movies, the Ikorodu, Lagos State-born thespian took to Twitter to express her disgust.

    While the match between France and Nigeria in the ongoing World Cup was being played on Monday, Funke wrote on her twitter page: “I always laugh when people say na only Yoruba films she dey act. She no fit speak/act English film. Maybe dey didn’t watch I Need to Know.”

    Almost immediately after she dropped the tweet, her fans started to take a swipe at her critics. In a comment, a fan wrote:  “Of course, they are either too young or ignorant.” And as if that was not enough, another fan said:  “I agreed because that series was more than educative and I heard Funke was paid in Dollars.”

    For those who have been following her story since she came into the movie industry more than a decade ago, the producer of Jenifa, an award-winning movie, is one of the respected crossover actresses, having also acted in a number of English movies, including White Hunters.

  • ‘Most Nigerians ignorant of ICT’

    The Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) has decried the high level of ignorance of information communication technology (ICT) pervading both the private and public sectors of the economy.

    Its President, Sunday Olusoji Salako, who spoke as a guest at the unveiling of the crashed price of the .ng domain name at ASSBIFI House, Alausa, Ikeja, lamented that in view of the enormous potentials the domain name holds for the country, it was ignorance that had stopped its subscription by Nigerians.

    “There is still ignorance about ICT in the country. You will be amazed at the high level of ignorance about ICT even in government circles. I will explore how our members key into this opportunities provided through owning a domain name,” he said.

    Speaking on the occasion, the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) Registrar, Mr Sikiru Shehu, said the .ng is Nigeria’s critical national natural resource, adding that the physical world is gradually being transformed into the virtual one. He said Google.com was bought for about $10 but the company today earns $34 billion annually, an amount of money Nigeria does not earn from her crude oil.

    Managing Director of Upperlink Limited, Mr. Segun Akano, decried thelukewarm attitude of Nigerians towards the embrace of the nation’s domain name, arguing that next to oil, it is her virtual natural resources capable of generating billions of naira into the economy.

  • Obi ignorant of National Assembly process, says Okadigbo

    Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Margery Chuba Okadigbo, yesterday said Anambra State Governor Peter Obi is ignorant of the process of the National Assembly.

    Senator Okadigbo, who represents Anambra North, urged the people to ignore Obi’s “unwarranted campaign of calumny” aimed at discrediting federal lawmakers from the state.

    The lawmaker stated this while reacting to what she described as an “unjustified outburst” by Obi on the performance of senators from the state.

    Okadigbo who spoke in a statement by her Chief of Staff, Emma Mbamalu, said the governor needed to be educated on rudiments of lawmaking, especially at the national level.

    She also urged Obi to learn to ask questions instead of playing to the gallery in the name of politics.

    She said Obi’s unprovoked attack on federal lawmakers from the state was because the senators he laboured to discredit were not from his party.

    Senator Okadigbo noted that if the governor meant well, a little research should have made him to discover that she three bills to her credit.

    She said contrary to Obi’s sweeping categorisation, she co-sponsored motions, including the motion on the need for the construction of the second Niger Bridge.

    “The bills which have gone through first reading in the Senate included Nigerian Children’s Trust Fund (Amendment) Bill 2013; Child’s Right Act (Amendment) Bill 2013 and National Kidney Treatment and Dialysis Centre Bill 2013 while she co-sponsored the Nigerian Health Bill 2013, National Health Insurance Commission Bill 2013 and National Tobacco Control Bill 2013,” the statement said.

    The statement said: “Governor Obi is obviously ignorant of the workings of the National Assembly. Now that he is frantically working, albeit clandestinely to come to the National Assembly at the expiration of his tenure, he is most welcome but he should endeavour to work his way with some level of civility.

    “The politics of calumny, misrepresentation and pull him/her down should be a thing of the past.

    ”He does not have regard for federal lawmakers from Anambra State. He does not confer nor consult them on any matter before doing anything even when it requires their attention.

    “The governor forwards names of nominees for appointment that require endorsement of senators from the state without informing them. He visits Mr. President on matters that require the input of federal lawmakers and other stakeholders from the state without even the courtesy of informing them.

     

  • PDP ignorant, says ACN

    PDP ignorant, says ACN

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of ignorance arising from its statement on the registration of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), also yesterday, accused the PDP of conspiring with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to destabilize the APC.

    In a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the ACN said it is disturbing that the ruling party exhibited such ignorance or mischief, when the legal requirements for a merger are well spelt out in the Electoral Act.

    ‘’For the avoidance of doubt, the law does not make any provision for any group to reserve a name at INEC, and the legal requirements for a merger do not allow registration until all the stipulated conditions have been met. Applying for registration before the conditions have been met will be like putting the cart before the horse, and would have been illegal and irregular.

    ‘’The only other way that the promoters of the APC could have registered the name before now is to short-circuit the system, like the PDP would have done. The ruling party’s modus operandi is lawlessness, underhand dealings and opaque transactions.

    That is why the fortunes of Nigeria have deteriorated rapidly under their watch.

    ‘’But as law-abiding citizens, APC leaders are following the stipulated conditions to the letter, and will not allow themselves to be stampeded into committing an illegality. Not even the PDP’s shameless act of sponsoring a phony party to instigate an acronym war and give an increasingly partisan INEC a reason not to register the All Progressives’ Congress will stampede the APC promoters,’’ it said.

    The ACN said in order to educate the ignorant and mischievous PDP, it had decided to quote the requirements: Section 84.(1): Any two or more registered political parties may merge on approval by the Commission following a formal request presented to the Commission by the political parties for that purpose.

    (2) Political parties intending to merge shall each give to the Commission 90 days notice of their intention to do so before a general election.

    (3) The written request for merger shall be sent to the Chairman of the Commission and shall be signed jointly by the National Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer for the time being of the different political parties proposing the merger and shall be accompanied by:

    (a) A special resolution passed by the national convention of each of the political parties proposing to merger approving the merger.

    (b) The proposed full name and acronym, constitution, manifesto, symbol or logo of the party together with the addresses of the national office of the party resulting from the merger; and

    (c) Evidence of payment of administrative costs of N100,000 or as may be fixed from time to time by an act of the National Assembly.

    (4) On receipt of the request for merger of political parties, the Commission shall consider the request and, if the parties have fulfilled the requirements of the Constitution and this Act, approve the proposed merger and communicate its decision to the parties concerned before the expiration of the 30 days from the date of the receipt of the formal request. Provided that if the Commission fails to communicate its decision within 30 days, the merger shall be deemed to be effective.

    (5) Where the request for the proposed merger is approved, the Commission shall withdraw and cancel the certificates of registration of all the political parties opting for the merger and substitute a single certificate of registration in the name of the party resulting from the merger.

    ‘’It is clear from the foregoing that the PDP, in its usual characteristics, was only playing to the gallery by wrongfully castigating the leaders of APC. Though the full name, acronym, constitution, manifesto and logo of the new party are ready, the component parties have yet to hold their individual conventions to ratify the merger, hence could not have presented a formal request for registration to INEC.

    ‘’We are happy that Nigerians are discerning people, and that the PDP has given them one more reason to kick the ruling party’s butt in 2015,’’ ACN said.

    The ANPP in a statement in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Emma Eneukwu said the Chairman of INEC Prof. Attahiru Jega is trying to please the PDP.

    “Talk about an efficient INEC! Our great party is worried because Prof. Jega, in trying to please the ruling PDP, is heading towards bringing ridicule to his renowned intellectual pedigree, and in so doing bring our dear country to ridicule in the comity of nations.

    “The ANPP calls on INEC to make recourse to reason, and good taste. INEC is not a political association, neither a private venture; it is a body that is supposed to stand for the interest of the people at all times. Our dear country, in these present precarious times, needs its organs of governance to be patriotic, sensible and fair. As a nation, we cannot afford to have emotions whipped up arbitrarily while making our polity more volatile than it is at present. All over the world, a general climate of discontent is a catalyst for revolution, and INEC is currently fanning this embers.”

    The statement added: “The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) notes the ongoing ploy by the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] to deflate the concerted efforts by the major opposition parties in Nigeria to come together under one umbrella. The current scheme to register a phantom party, the so-called African Peoples Congress [APC], in order to have a clash of acronyms with the All Progressives Congress [APC] is redolent of unpatriotic craftiness, an ill wind that blows nobody any good. With every passing hour, it becomes more glaringly obvious that the words of General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), in a recent assertion that the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] has merged with INEC, is actually an inconvenient truth.

  • Okupe is ignorant, say Mark, Tambuwal

    Okupe is ignorant, say Mark, Tambuwal

    Senate President David Mark and Speaker Aminu Tambuwal fired back at the Presidential aide.

    Mark described Dr. Okupe as ill informed.

    Mark, who spoke through a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Kola Ologbodiyan, said there is no basis for Okupe to claim that he derided President Jonathan in his speech during the presentation of the 2013 budget.

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to media attacks on the Office and Person of the President of the Senate, by Senior Special Assistant to Mr. President Dr. Doyin Okupe to the effect that the President of the Senate derided President Goodluck Jonathan during the budget presentation on Wednesday.

    “It is instructive to state that Senator Mark and Mr. President are on the same page in the onerous task of ensuring the actualisation of the transformation agenda of this administration.

    “There was nothing derisive in the welcome address of the President of the Senate at the budget presentation.

    “We challenge Dr. Okukpe to revisit the speech and discover his misadventure.

    “It is therefore strange that Dr. Okupe would meddlesomely attempt to create unnecessary disaffection between the legislature and the executive.

    “It is common knowledge that budgets are estimates of revenues and expenditures of the Federation for the next financial year.

    “Section 81 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is very explicit. The position of the Senate which was expressed by the President of the Senate is that in line with constitutional provisions, the legislature has a right of appropriation.

    “Dr. Okupe as a public affairs manager, has a responsibility to make friends and create a harmonious working relationship between the executive and other arms of government. His job is not to make enemies and create unfavourable atmosphere for Mr. President.

    “We take exception to such unwarranted attack on the Office of the President of the Senate and we urge Dr. Okupe to know his limits.”

    Spokesman of Tambuwal Mallam Imam Imam said in a statement: “The attention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has been drawn to a news conference addressed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, where he made disparaging remarks about the leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly with regards to the remarks of Senate President David Mark and the Speaker of the House of Representatives at the presentation of the 2013 budget.

    “The Speaker wishes to state that the remarks of the two leaders are in conformity with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and that all statements by the two leaders were backed by facts and figures from field studies by the legislators and expert advise.

    “It is apparent that Okupe is dabbling into areas where he is totally ignorant about.

    “The uncouth manner in which he replied elected representatives showed his apparent lack of respect for the legislature as an institution. The entire remarks he made gave him out as an overzealous official doing a hatchet job in order to be relevant in the scheme of things.

    Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Media And Public Affairs, Victor Ogene said the House of Representatives was too busy to give attention to people like Dr. Doyin Okupe “who are worn – out politicians, seeking relevance, and so they must pander and speak to draw their principals into unnecessary confrontations.

    “It is for the Nigerian people to judge. If the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs is saying that the MDAs are incapable of utilizing legitimately approved funds, all he’s saying is that the entire executive branch lacks capacity to serve the Nigerian people.

    “It’s a serious indictment and it is not one that the House of Representatives will join in making merry over. Instead, we will be more determined than ever to correct this anomaly.

    “Talking about the Speaker being dictatorial, the Speaker since his emergence has never tended to act as Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. He has instead at every point and turn reflected the wishes and position of the entire 360-member House of Representatives.

    “Of course, if this were not so, if we disagreed with Mr. Speaker, it will show in our response to any issue that he speaks about. But as you can see from the standing ovation that the got intermittently, it shows clearly that the Speaker was speaking the minds of his colleagues in the House of Representatives.”